a look at food, fun and life in the greater Indianapolis area...

May 12, 2010

Red Lion Grog House (Fountain Square)

I lost my camera the other day. I know what you're thinking...Yeah, yeah, there are worse things. You're right. But my camera is my diary. I take photos of everything- food, restaurants, people and the thought of a lost camera was almost too much. And I hadn't backed up any photos lately. I had several hundred photos on the card. Yes- I'm backing them up now.

So it worked out. I retraced my steps and realized I left my camera at a restaurant in Fountain Square (thank you Santorini's, xxoo).

Let's get back to Fountain Square. I've lived in Indy for a while and don't know a lot about Fountain Square. I worked downtown for a few years and was only in Fountain Square a handful of times. Dear Fountain Square, I am sorry:) and I'll be visiting more often.

We were hungry and in Fountain Square and I remembered hearing good things about Red Lion Grog House and their fish and chips. D and J were with me and love fish and chips also- so it was an easy sell.

We parked on the street, went inside and found a table across from the bar. I immediately liked the place. It was dark- which I like in a pub or bar. You gotta have some atmosphere and besides- good lighting (as in low lighting) never hurt anyone:) There was a mixed age crowd-- I'd say people in their 20's to 60's and within a few minutes after sitting down, I had a Sun King in hand and said to D & J, "I am loving this place." I'm not sure what did it-- the dark atmosphere, the iron fence in the bar (which made me think fondly of Snax on Keystone Avenue (which closed a long time ago), with its stellar tapas, eclectic soundtrack and chain link fence separating the bar from the tables) or the when I heard "Wonderwall" by Oasis, which seemed a fitting song for a English-style pub. I was already smitten with Red Lion and I hadn't had a bite of food yet.

view of the bar (I lightened the photo up a little)- check out the iron fence.

Red Lion has a varied bar menu and we decided to order a few things and split them. * don't have pics of the shrimp or fish- but they were both excellent. Trust me.

Recommended

Spicy Fried Shrimp

Our server told us the shrimp were really good and I'm crazy about any kind of shrimp, prepared in most any kind of way. These shrimp were medium in size and hand-breaded, then fried and after tossed in a spicy curry sauce. We immediately dove in and even with the spicy curry sauce, the fried shrimp had some crispiness. I like a lot of spice and heat- but if you don't, you might want to ask for the mild curry sauce. I was drinking a Sun King Wee Mac- which I think paired very nicely with the spicy shrimp.

Fish and Chips

These fish and chips didn't disappoint. Cod- breaded (not too thick of a breading) and fresh cut fries. I think it's difficult to find good fish and chips and this is the stuff. The fish was light and flaky and the fries were fresh and crispy.

We were still kind hungry so we decided to try a burger and fries.

Big Ben Burger, served with chips (fries).

burger and fries, side of mild curry sauce for dipping fries

I order a burger medium-well/well and this burger had good-quality meat, and still was juicy. The fries were stellar and when dipped in curry sauce- ah-mazing.

Final thoughts: I'll definitely be back to Red Lion and Fountain Square. It's a drive for me, but I don't mind driving for good pub food. Our server was friendly and helpful and the prices are very reasonable - the items we ordered were all under 11 bucks. Red Lion Grog House, 1043 Virginia Avenue, #6, Indianapolis (317) 822-4764. *Bonus- late hours- Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m. until 1 a.m., Sunday, noon until midnight. Check the web site for menu and live music info.

*Directions: If you're not familiar with Fountain Square- some of the streets are one way and confusing- and I recommending printing a map from MapQuest.* Trust me, I've been lost in the area a handful of times. MapQuest is my bff on the road:)

I am crushing on FS. Have you tried Nasia? It's Asian spelled backward. They have the Best eggrolls I have ever had. Crispy, not too much cabbage, perfect! They make there own homemade sauces too. You really must try this place. YUMMY